Temperament Theory Continued-Teaching the Guardian Child

II. The Guardian Child
    •    Description      
Guardian children aim to please and are very easy to deal with. They enjoy structure and unlike the rational child, do not desire extreme autonomy. Instead they enjoy being guided by their teacher and expend all their efforts into completing the tasks set before them without question. They relish the fact that adults can depend on them and base their self-worth on being reliable. These children attribute great importance to titles and awards and are the types to treasure stickers and other prizes.

    •    Example
Working with guardian children is a pleasure since they are so obliging. They often go beyond what is required of them and are very pleasant and kind and almost never cause any problems. One of my 11 year old girls is the archetypal guardian. She is the top of her class in school, president of her student council, and works very hard at piano. When working with her, I always know she will do exactly as I say. The only down side is the lack of ability to infer new ideas or learn through self-discovery. The guardian trust rules inherently and wants to be guided and told what to do. Obviously this is in great contrast with the rational child who insists on dismantling and discovering every idea in their own way. Because of this, when working with a guardian it is important to very clearly and concisely explain exactly what is required. Guardian children live for praise and approval from their instructors, but they are also the most receptive of negative criticism of all the temperaments. The awarding of incentives will help to motivate the guardian child, so for my student I have a treat bag that I fill every week with various toys and candy I pick up from the store. The guardian children more than all the other temperament types are the most motivated by these rewards for good work. While all the children are excited by the prospect of a treat, my guardian children have not missed a single assignment since the introduction of the treat bag. The only negative aspect of the guardian child is that in their aim to do well, they often don’t make their needs known. They will work themselves to death to please others and it’s important to look for small signs of exhaustion and fatigue. I try to be very mindful when giving assignments to not go overboard because I know that just because the student will complete all the tasks, doesn’t mean I should since they might overwork themselves.

The next post will discuss the teaching of idealist children.